Do I need to renew my expired greencard before applying for citizenship?

Question

Was filling out the paperwork to apply for citizenship and realized that my Green card expired 6 months ago (shows how often I look at it).

Do I need to renew the green card first or can I just apply for citizenship. With the price hikes I cannot do both.

Answer 1

There is much talk about this gray area of the application process, but I believe you are required to have a valid card *at the time* that you apply for naturalization (and even this might be debatable).

It might also depend on local policy, because I know in Los Angeles, they will stamp the I-551 notation if one filed for naturalization *before* the expiry of the I-551.

So you could try to make an INFOpass appointment at a USCIS service center which covers your jurisdiction and they *may* give you an I-551 stamp in your passport but they might want to see proof of an I-90 having been filed.